Banana bread 2.0: Baking just got 5 times better

If you've relegated banana bread to the not-so-exciting cake category, it's time to change you're thinking. Here are five ingenious ways to turn spotting fruit into decadent desserts that you're bound to bake on the regular.

Source: Alan Benson

1. Coconut banana bread lamingtons

Just when you thought lamingtons couldn't get any better, along comes a banana bread version.

Coconut banana bread lamingtons Source: Alan Benson

2. Upside-down caramel banana bread

What delectable, sticky sweetness! This cake's spectacular looks belie how darned quick it is to rustle up.

Source: Alan Benson

3. Triple-layer choc-bottom banana bread

Melted butter makes this banana bread particularly rich; baking it on top of a chocolate crumb crust and finishing it off with a generous scatter of dark chocolate chips takes it into another stratosphere entirely.

Source: Alan Benson

4. Caribbean banana bread

Sweet potato gives an added dimension here – extra moistness, extra sweetness and a touch of earthiness too.

Source: Alan Benson

5. Banana bread, raspberry and ricotta trifle

Leftover banana bread floating about? Just carve it up into little pieces and you’re halfway toward making this fantastic dessert.

Source: Alan Benson

Recipes by Leanne Kitchen. Photography by Alan Benson, styling by Sarah O'Brien and food preparation by Tina Mcleish. 

When she doesn’t have her head in the pantry cupboard, Leanne Kitchen finds time to photograph food and write cookbooks. You can view her work on her website or on Instagram.